The impact of experience on recurrence rates after biopsy punch excision for pilonidal disease

Aim We present the outcomes and the recurrences of 848 patients with pilonidal disease (PD) treated by biopsy punch excision (BPE) and we weigh our results against progressively obtained operative experience. BPE is a modified ‘merged’ version of both the Bascom ‘pit picking’ procedure and the Gips procedure. It employs biopsy punches of different calibre, depending on whether treatment is in the natal cleft (calibre as small as possible) or lateral (larger calibre punches or even small incision). Sometimes this procedure is referred to as the Bascom–Gips procedure. Methods In all, 848 consecutive patients with PD were treated from January 2011 until December 2016 (sex 622 [73.4%] men and 226 [26.6%] women; median age 26.2 years, mean age 24.6 ± 28.99 [range 14–55] years, men 25.1 years, women 24.8 years). Of these 848 patients, 287 were operated in 2011–2012, 301 in 2013–2014 and 260 in 2015–2016. The recurrence rates were recorded 12, 24 and 60 months after surgery both cumulatively and by examining the outcomes of the three biennia individually (years of treatment 2011–2012 or group A, 2013–2014 or group B, 2015–2016 or group C). Results The mean operating time was 34 ± 24.45 min. Postoperative complications included early (24 h; n = 26 or 3.1%) postoperative bleeding. Postoperative fluid collections (